How to Disinfect Used Shoes

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The perfect pair of shoes can come in different shapes, sizes, and states of cleanliness. If you've discovered your perfect pair of shoes at a thrift store or at a rummage sale, they may need a little bit of TLC before you can wear them. If you're willing to put in a bit of effort to disinfect your new shoes, you'll be walking around in style in no time.

Clean the insoles of your shoes. When it comes time to wash your shoes, remove the insoles and wash them first. In a small bowl, prepare a mixture of warm water and laundry detergent. To wash the shoe insoles, use a sponge or a rag to scrub away the smell, dirt, and stains. Rinse the insoles off with warm water when you've finished scrubbing them with your detergent mixture. Lay them near a window or on a towel to dry.

If your insoles are still smelly after washing them, put them in a plastic bag with some baking soda and leave it overnight.

If the insoles still smell bad after a night of baking soda, soak them for 2-3 hours in a mixture of vinegar and water. Then, wash the insoles again with soap and water to remove the scent of the vinegar.[1]

Use a washing machine on machine washable shoes. Many shoes can be washed in the washing machines, including running shoes, sneakers, and most cloth shoes. If your shoes are machine washable, wash them in warm water with strong detergent. After washing, let your shoes air-dry instead of putting them in the dryer.

Remove the shoe laces before putting your shoes in the washer.

If your shoes are made of suede, leather, plastic, or any other delicate material, do not put them in the washing machine.[2]

Wash your shoes by hand if they are made from nicer materials. If you are washing nicer sneakers or shoes made of more delicate materials, wash them by hand instead of in the washing machine. Make a soapy mixture out of warm water and liquid laundry detergent. Use a rag or a soft brush to gently scrub the shoes with this mixture. Once you've scrubbed the shoes with the mixture, get a fresh rag and wipe the shoes down with warm water to rinse the soap away.[3]

Leather shoes can be washed by hand. Use a rag to gently scrub the shoes with your soap and water mixture.

Suede shoes can be washed by hand, but you must be careful. Use a rag or soft bristled brush, and clean the suede in downward strokes. Brushing/cleaning the suede in one direction will help to lift stains from the material. If you're nervous about washing your suede shoes, then you should take them to a professional cleaner.[4]

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Method 1 Quiz

What cannot go into a washing machine?

Shoes made of plastic.

Almost! It's important to check if your shoe is strong or durable enough to go through the washing machine. Most plastic shoes aren't, and can be easily rinsed in the sink anyway. Still, there are other types of shoes to watch out for. Try another answer...

Shoe laces.

Close! Shoe laces can be very damaging to a washing machine if they come loose. Always remember to remove them from your shoes before washing. Still, there are other things to remember too. There’s a better option out there!

Shoes made of leather.

Try again! Shoes made of leather are too delicate to run through the washing machine and should be washed by hand or by a professional. But there are other things to remember about washing your shoes! Click on another answer to find the right one...

All of the above.

Correct! Many types of shoes can go through the washing machine, but it's still important to remember what cannot. If you accidentally wash a shoe that shouldn't be washed in a machine, you could damage both the shoes and the washing machine, so take care! Read on for another quiz question.

Soak your sneakers in rubbing alcohol. If you need to get rid of smell and bacteria, turn to rubbing alcohol for your solution. If your shoes are sneakers or made of cloth, soak the shoes in a tub or large bowl of rubbing alcohol. If your shoes are made of more sensitive material, gently scrub them down with rubbing alcohol using a rag.[5]

Use a bleach and water mixture to disinfect the inside of your shoes. Bleach is a powerful chemical, which makes it a great tool for disinfecting shoes. Unless your shoes are white, be careful to only spray bleach on the inside of your shoes, otherwise they could get bleach stains on the outside. Use a small spray bottle to spray bleach on the insides of your shoes to disinfect them.[6]

Purchase antibacterial sprays to sanitize all types of shoes. You can use an antibacterial spray, such as Lysol or Clorox, to disinfect the inside of your shoes. Spray the entire insides of your shoes, and allow your shoes to dry completely before putting them on. Using an antibacterial spray will disinfect your shoes and help eliminate bad odors.

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Method 2 Quiz

Why should you only spray bleach on the inside of your shoes?

You can damage the material.

Close! Bleach can be toxic when applied to several different materials, so you'll want to be careful. Still, there's a more specific reason to only spray the inside of your shoes. Guess again!

Bleach is only effective on the soft soles of shoes, and not the hard outer materials.

Try again! Bleach will disinfect almost anything. Still, you could end up with damage to your shoes, and anything that gets in the line of the spray, so be careful! Try again...

You can stain the shoe.

That's right. Because bleach is so powerful, it often stains the material it's spread on! Applying bleach to your soles is fine since no one will see the inside of your shoes, but you don't want bleach stains on the outside of your shoes! Read on for another quiz question.

Use vinegar to deodorize your shoes. Vinegar is known for getting stubborn odors out of things – shoes included. When washing your shoes with soap and water, add a bit of vinegar to the mixture. After washing your shoes, you can also rub them down with pure white vinegar and a rag. The vinegar smell will fade, but the smelly odor will be completely eliminated.[7]

Use baking soda to deodorize your shoes. Baking soda is a great deodorizer, so it's one of the best ways to get smelly odors out of shoes. Pour 2-3 tablespoons into each shoe, and shake the shoes so that the baking powder spreads out evenly. Let the shoes sit overnight, and then pour the excess baking powder out of your shoes.[8]

Put dryer sheets in your dress shoes. Dryer sheets are great for giving clothing a fresh scent, and they're also great for freshening up smelly used shoes. Place 2 dryer sheets in each shoe and leave them there for a few days. Remove the dryer sheets before you put your shoes on. This should greatly improve the scent of your used shoes.

You can place dryer sheets in all types of shoes, but this method is particularly recommended for dress shoes that cannot be soaked in vinegar.[9]

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Method 3 Quiz

How should you deodorize shoes that cannot be soaked in vinegar?

Leave them outside.

Try again! If shoes are freshly smelly, letting them air out might be effective. Still, if you have a cumulative odor that can't be ignored, you'll want to go for a stronger attack. Try another answer...

Use dry sheets.

Nice! Dryer sheets are super absorbent and won't leave any damage to the inside or outside of your shoe. If you leave the dryer sheets in for a few days, you'll begin to notice the smell is disappearing. Read on for another quiz question.

Deodorize them with soap and water.

Not necessarily! If your shoes can't handle the intensity of vinegar, you should also be careful with the liquid element of soap and water. Even if that passes the test, there are stronger ways to combat stinky shoes. Try again...

Spray insides liberally with anti-fungal, antibacterial spray. Leave out to dry completely. Clean your feet. Apply anti-fungal nail and or not foot cream. Apply and rub foot powder on feet and in between your toes. If you're wearing same shoes for a long period of time like 8 hours, clean feet, reapply nail cream and foot powder and put on new socks. Then spray your anti-fungal, antibacterial spray after your fully done using them and leave them out to dry. If it's still there, get new shoes, or use different anti-fungal spray. Take to a doctor if you get the nail fungus.

About This Article

Co-Authored By:

wikiHow Staff Editor

This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Together, they cited information from 9 references. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article meets our high standards.

If you found a pair of used shoes and you need to disinfect them, remove the insoles and scrub them with warm, soapy water. Rinse the insoles with warm water and lay them near a window or on a towel to dry. If the shoes themselves are machine-washable, remove the shoelaces and wash them in warm water with a strong detergent. However, if the shoes are made of suede, leather, plastic, or another delicate material, wash them by hand with a damp cloth.

Reader Success Stories

KP

Kate Panthera

Nov 7, 2016

"Gave a lot of different options, but all methods are simple and use common household items that are usually already on-hand. Really liked the dryer sheet idea. I'm donating shoes, and they're not "dirty," but need a little sprucing up."..." more

A

Anonymous

Oct 16, 2016

"I am trying to disinfect dark suede tennis shoes I bought at Goodwill. I will launder the insole and spray inside with Lysol. Thanks for all of the help. I will use a lot of the other methods you mentioned when cleaning other shoes."..." more

A

Anonymous

Aug 6, 2017

"I'm trying the Lysol method to disinfect dark suede/faux suede dress shoes. I hope they dry odorless. I'm not really a fan of the scent of Lysol, but the shoe innersoles are permanent, so wish me luck!"..." more

TP

Trudy Pickersgill

Aug 12, 2018

"I love my many pairs of SAS shoes, but all feet have many sweat glands (and, of course, odor). I want to have nice-smelling shoes. I now have two avenues to deodorize my shoes."..." more

Rated this article:

A

Anonymous

Jan 26, 2018

"What I appreciated the most was that the article provides helpful chemical and non-chemical options. I also appreciated the very budget-friendly choices."..." more

CJ

Carole J.

Mar 1, 2017

"If I hadn't had access to the info in this article, I might have ruined my granddaughter's used Toms that I just purchased for her; thanks much!"..." more

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Anonymous

Oct 25, 2016

"I now have info for trying and comparing methods for summer shoes in winter storage."